Process of utilizing hot liquids for power purposes.



PATENTED APR. 14, 1908.

A. G: B. RATEAU. PROCESS OF UTILIZING HOT LIQUIDS FOR POWER PURPOSES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 190B.

idp'ineaded' @ZM/ aueosrn GAMILLE EDMOND RATEAU, or PARIS, FRANCE eassess or U'rrmzme nor LIQUIDS Fon- POWER rimrosas.

ire-assert.

To all whom itmay concern: Be it known that I, Aueiisrn CAMILLE ED- .MoNn RATEAU, citizen of France, residing at Paris, France, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in'the Process of Utiliz- I mg Hot Liquids for Power Purposes, of which act description, reference accompasgmg drawings, forming a part of picketserated, being order that -Water, I desirably constrict the size of the the following is a full, clear concise, and exbeing had to the this spec ation.

.. Y My invention relates to a method of obtaimng mechanical energy from hcit liquids.

My invention enables the employment of hot water, that so commonly goes to waste, for industrial purposes, such as waters that are obtained irom natural sources, as hot springs, water of'condensation, water in the of gas engines; compressors, etc.

ot water from most anysource may, in accordance with my invention, be utilized to perform mechanical work,- the invention enabling the attainment from the water of the maximum available mechanical power.

l'nacoo'rdance with my invention, I effect the liberation of steam fromthe water before the-water has access to the motive-element, such as a Water-wheehthe steam, when libfree to expand and thereby effeet the more forceful-flower" the water; In order to effect the liberation of the steam, in

it may thus forcibly act'upon the flowin stream of water, the steam thereupon being source of energy.

at the discharge end of the I 5.0

berated and thereupon desirably enlarge or taper, preferably gradually, the size of the flowing stream, so that the liberated steam may have free action by expansion in acceleratin the flow of the water. The instrument t rat I prefer to employ for pracsteps in my improved method,

spends a drop in temperature. The drop in temperature represents the major part of the I do not Wish tobe lim ited in all practices of my invention to the condensing operation.

Specification of Letters Patent. 'la iiesaoamsa August 11, 1906. Serial No. 330,142.

the wheel, to which end nozzle which at its discharge end le of evaporatutilization of nrnnr oF ioE.

I eflect formation of steam from the Water and cause its removal, to which end'I employ a device for securing a low ressure at the point of egress of the water om the wheel (or other power translating instrumentahty):

I prefer for such an instrumentality a con denser, the water wheel beingdesirably in terposed between the condenser and the source of water sup in free communication with the pipe or'duct leading from the water wheel an is therefore reachable as it passes through the wheel.

I preferably begin the separation of the steam and water before their exit through a suitably designed induction nozzle is interposed betweenthe Water Wheel and the Water sup 1y, an dasithed eel is considv erably larger than the pipe that conveys the space afforded in the Water w water to the water wheel,expansion ofthe ply. I This condenser is steam into this larger space ispermitted, the,

steam after it is exhaustedfrom the water. wheel being condensed as aforesaid.

While I Prefer the instrunientalities andl their relative arrangement particularly specie fied l do not wishto be liinited inall embodimerits of my invention to the same.

I will explainmy invention more fully reference to the accompa'nyingdrawing, i

Figure 1 is an entropic dia ram employed in demonstrating tlieutility o theinventlon.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustratin one arrangemerit of apparatus. Fig. 3 indicates, amodiiied arrangement of time paratus shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a .view il 01' nozzle that is deslrabl recting the hot water to t e water wheel.

Like parts are indicated by similar charac tors of reference throughout the difi'ereiit figures. i

Referring first more particularly to-Fig.

ay'be employed that) contains the hot li uid b,"usually water, 100

a suitable, vessel a which may be provi or frorn-any suitable s0urce,-ai1d whieh 1s most economically used in the practioe'of my invention when it has a temperature in they neighborhood of two hundred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit or less. I

The invention is not to be restricted to t ed inany suitable wa two hundred, for itwill be operative toconimercial advantage with the Water at much less andat'conustrating the form employed for div" 1 e .waterin the neighborhood of and twelve degrees Fahrehheit,

r 2 I i siderabl greater temperatures. A pipe 0 is shown, or purpose of illustration, as commumeeting with the to of the vessel 0, for renewing the supply of ic uid within the vessel.

The liquid, for economical reasons, is desirably subject to pressure approximating atmospheric pressure, though the invention is not to be restricted to such a pressure. An eduction pipe (1 communicates with .the interior of a suitable motor or power translating device, as a water wheel a. Piping communicates with the water wheel out et. This piping f is desirably of larger diameter than the plping d, and thespace afforded within the water wheel isv also larger than that at? forded by the pi ing d, so that the fluid may expand within t e: water wheel in order that a part of it may become steam and the two bodies of fluid, the water and the steam, issuing from the outlet of the water wheel may pass throu h the piping f, the steam branchlng throu h the PI'PIIIO 9 where it is subjected to t e action of the condenser it, while the water will flow through the piping i. I

' prefer to subdivide the steam and water at g and i,.but I do not Wish to be limited to this ractice. The steam after being condensed 1n the condenserh flows through the' i ing 70, the water issuing from the piping finding exit at l. A pump m may be employed to romote the discharge of the water at Z.

'i he e uipment shown in Fig. 3 is "cherally sim' ar to that shown in Fig. 2 and 'similar parts are given the same characters of reference. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, however, the pipingf communicates with a separating chamber 71 located at the top of and communicating with a barometric column 0 which receives the water',-the steam passing through the pi ing 1) to a condenser for the purpose that has been specified. I

In Fig. 4 I have shown the preferred device for leading the hot water to the water wheel. The piping d desirably converges'at 9 toward the wheel and then diver es at r toward the wheel, the passage throug i which the water flows being thus constricted, the constriction being reduced just before the water enters the wheel. By this construction the water pressure is transformed into velocity and the water is properly entered within the wheel to promote the liberation of steam under the influence of the vacuum obtained in the pipingfowing to the influence of the condenser. The shape of the piping at g7' is tobe determined according to the cir cumstances attending each e uipment.

By means of my inventiond am enabled to obtain maximum available mechanical power from hot water.

n order that the a dvantagesibf my inveu- I "tion may? be more scientifically set forth, l

fiwillnow refer to Fig. 1.

:7 l Let us call A B A B the entropic diagram theoretically in utilizin of the water and of the saturated steam, considered between the temperatures t, of the hot water and t of the condenser. ;In the systems of primary vaporization hitherto actually employed, the temperature of the water is lowered to a certain oint t which is located between t, and t in t e scale of temperatures. It will be seen from the diagram that from each pound of Water utilized, there can be produced at this temperature 1 and under the corresponding pressure p a weight of w pound of steam, which can be expressed by the proportion The point is located onthe right hand side of the adiabatic in such a manner that the rectangle I K d h going as far as the line'of absolute temerature zero degree, has an equivalent .surface to the triangle 0 B I. The two points IK are extremely close to each other and the distance I K can be practically considered as 0). The energy available in a pound of steam between the temperature t and a tem-' perature t, is expressed by the surface of the trapezoid C C F A. It is then obvious that the engery available in the -weight,-a: ounds will be expressed by the surface C L H,

the point I. being located between A F in LF. OK

such a manner that'we obta1n -1 In order to determine the maximum of the surface C K H L, it will be found that this maximum takes placefor a temperature If practically equal to the arithmetic mean between t and t, and that in this case thesurface C K L H is approximately equal to one-half of the surface A B D. This surface A B D represents the energy available whenv a pound of water at the-temperature t, is brought down to a temperature t From this we see that the maximum power which can be theoretically produced by utilizing hot waters by the present process, is not over a half of the energy that could be obtained directly these hot waters in accordance wit my invention.

In accordance with my process, Iv obtain the lower temperature t by creating a corresponding vacuum in a reservoir or condenser toward which the hot water flows from the vessel (1 in such a manner that under the influence of the difference of pressures thereby obtained, the hot water will flow rapidly and the via viva resulting from this speed can be translated by suitable apparatus for the .perfornmnce of mechanical work: The water being under the action of the mean pressure, acquires speed and at the same time is trans ormed partially into ste m which is iiually condensed when the mi ture of water and steam have passed from the water wheel. ()wing to the fact that the water will have a iartial vaporization at the distributing nozzle qr, it is desirplement the work-cf the-heat.

I mechanical efiiciency than steam engmes.

J practicingimy invention, 1 do not wish to be 55 in its flow to a suitable channe separation of vapor therefrom, permittin so the li able to convqgge and diverge the nozzle as 5 haust temperature which corresponds tothe obtainable vacuum; Moreover, ifjthereiis a difference in the level between the distributingreservoir 1.. and the 'tankreceiving the will s'upgravity exhaust water, thtwork of The water Wheel, as iswell known, has a I In view of the fact that the water wheel will rotate in a space ,Where '15 the pressure is very low, the frictions-0f the wheel in the iiuid'will be reduced to a mini v mum.

In the practice vof my invention the hot waters are preferably not especially heated 2'0 for the purpose of the inventlon, though occasionmay arise when it would be serviceable to heat waters especially for the practice ,of the invention. To this end, I may use, as n; il ilishments, etc. q

Exhaust steam might be utilized to heat hitherto stated, waters from hot springs, hot aters obtained in laundries, dyeing estab- Qjater which may: thereafter be subject to the practice of my invention.

3b I have .usedthe expressions extracting vapor removing vapor, etc., by which L expressionsl do not limit mys'lf to the assa e of the vapor to the exterior of the c an- 'ne containing the li uid. By these expressions I -mean the isappearance of the vapor in any manner, as by transmittingit into liquid by the action of the condenser, so

that it will notact as an obstruction to the fiow of the liquid.

mited thereto. g Having .thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters '45 ,Patentr ting the expansion of the separated vapor, vapor its expansion to act 1 upon the liquid.

and causing the 2. The process ofelfecting the flow bf hot liquid, which consists inconfinling the liquid the flow of the liquid, thereby to effect the the expansion of the separated vapor, an causing the vapor in its expansion to act upon a greatdealhigher While I'have hown'the preferred ways of constricting .ing the stream of liquid to "elementto the stricting the fiow of liquid, thereby to the separation of vapor therefrom, thereafter the flow of liquid, thereby to effect the separation of vapor, therefrom, thereafter enlarging thestream of liquidtoipermit the liberatedyapor toexpand, and causing the vapor in ite'expaiisifl to act upon the-11 uid.

4.;The; meteor effecting the. ow of'hot liquid, whiqhconsists inconfiniri the liquid in its flow toe-suitable channel, e acting the separation oiv'ap ting the expansiomof the separated vapbr,

or-from the liquid, permitthe vapor-fin its expansion to act causing! upon t e liquid, and thereafter condensing the vapor. I D 5. The process of e'ffect'ing'the flow ofhot liquid, which consists in confining the liquid in its flo'wto a suitable channel, constricting the flowof the liquid, thereby to'efiect the separation of vapor therefrom, permitting the expansion of the separated vapor, causing the vapor in its expansion to act upon the 6. The process of effecting the flow of hot liquid,,wh1ch consists in confining the liquid in its flow to a suitable channel, constricting the flow ofliquid, thereby to effect the separation of vaportherefrom, thereafter enlargperrnitthe liberated vapor to expand, causing the vapor in its expansion to act upon the liquid, and thereafter condensing the vapor.

7 The process of effecting mechanical movement, which consists invco'nfining the liquid in its flow to a suitable channel, effect ing the separation of vapor from the liquid,

liquid, and thereaftercondensing the vapor.

permitting the expansion of the separated vapor, causing the vapor in its expansion to act upon the liquid, and subjecting a motive action of the liquid.

8. The process of effecting mechanical movement, which consists in confining the liquid in its flow to a suitable channel, constricting the flow ofthe liquid, thereby to eifect the separation of vapor therefrom, permitting the expansion of the separated vapor, causing the vapor in its expansion to act upon the liquid, and subjecting a motive element to the action of the liquid.

9. The process of effecting mechanical movement, which consists in confining the liquid in its flow'to a suitable channel, iqone ect enlarging the stream of liquid to permit the liberated vapor to expand, causing the vapor in its expansion to act upon the iquid, and

"subjecting a motive-element to the action of the liqui 10. The process pf efiecting mechanical movement, which consists ill confining the liquid in its flow to a suitable channel, effecting the separation of vapor from, the liquid, permitting the expansion of the separated vapor, causing the vapor in itsexpansion to act upon the lhgiid, thereafter condensing the vapor, and su 'ecting a motive element to 'the action of the iquid.

effect the separation of vapor therefrom, per-- mitting the expansion of the separated vapor, causing the vapor in its expansion to act upon the 'li uid, thereafter condensing the vapor, and su j eating a motive element to the action of the liquid.

12. The process of effecting movement, which consists in confining the mechanical liquid in its' flow to a suitable ell-magma 'stricting the flow of liquid, thereby to eflecf, the separation of vapor therefrom, thereafter enlargin the stream of liquid to permit the liberate vapor to expand, causing the vapor in its expansion to act upon the liquid, thereafter condensing the vapor, and subject' a motive element to the action-(of file liquj a In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this twenty-sixth day of J une 25 AUGUSTE QAMILLE tliuonnn rmti. I Witnesses:

HANSON 0. (303m,

JAcK BAKERi-w 

